Boat-propelling device



C F. PARKS.

BOAT PROPELLINGDEVICE. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 19,1919;

1,379 ,933.- Patented May 31,1921.

. CHnRLEs E PARKS.

UNITED STATES.

rAr T OFFICE.

CHARLES E. ranks, on rAmMoUNn-mnmna I 1' non'r-rnornnmne vniivron.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES F. PARKS, a cltizen of the United States, residin Fa1rmount,'inthe county of Grant and tate of'Indiana, have invented certain new and I "useful Improvements in Boat-Propeller Devices, of which the following is a specification. I

This invention relates to'improvements in rowing devlces for SklffS or similar hand propelled boats.

The object of my inventlon is to provide a device which may easily be attached to any standard skiff or row boat,'and by which the person operating same may pro- 1 pel the boat with a minimum amount of exboat.

ertion and may vary the direction of movement of the boat and even reverse such move-' ment, without changing his position on the More specific urposes of my invention are to provide a' evice of the kind described which will be of few parts, durable, not

liable to get out of order or repair, andwhich is economical of manufacture.

The objects of this'invention are accomplished by the mechanism shown in the accompanying drawings, and described in the following specification. "In the drawings, suitable characters of reference are applied to the several parts of the invention, as they ap ear in the different views, in whichigure 1 is a transverse sectional .view of an ordinary standard type of row boat, upon which my invention is shown installed.

Fig. 2 is a side view of the invention as seen in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view of the device as shown in Fig. 1, parts thereof being shown in cross section.

Fig. 4 is a top plan sectional view taken on the line 44, and Fig. 5 is a top plan sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3.

The present invention contemplates the arrangement of a pair of hand operable Specification of Letters Patent. Iaiented May 3 1, Application filed september 19, 1919. SerialIN'o. 324,805. 1'

fied, or even reversed,.although the position of the oarsman is unchanged-and the efiort is simply that of the back and forth movement of the levers.

In the drawings A represents the body; portion of an ordinary boat, it being provided with the usual top rails B. My rowing attachment comprises the parts as follows: the cast metal journal block 1 is designed and arranged to fit securely on the rail B and to be secured by a suitable bolt 01'' bolts 1. The lever 2 of suitable length and form as shown has its lower-"end secured to a shaft 3 that is journaled in the journalblock 1. "Integrally formed on the end ofthe shaftS is a housing 39in which is journaled theshank portion of the blade shaft 5. A gear wheel 6 that forms a part of the top endof the shaft 5 hasits teeth to mesh in a rack 7. This rack is, slidingly retained in guideway3 i, and its stem 7 is similarlyretained in the guideway 2?. When the rack;

is shifted the distance ofits stroke, there is theone-halfof a full rotation of the shaft The means for moving the rack c'omprises the secondary lever 8 suitably journaled on the lug 2 of the lever 2. This secondary lever 8 has its lower end connected loosely by a pin 7 b to the rack 7 As shown in Fig. 1, the length of the blade shafts 5 are such that when the lever 2 is at the vertical position, the lower end of the blades is at a position slightly higher than a line parallel with the keel point of the boat. The blades 5 are made of sheet metal which may be of steel, copper or brass and are connected to the shaft 5 in the manner of a loose hinge. The detail of this construction is shown at Fig. 5, the pins 5 being secured in the ears 5 that form a part of the shafts 5. When collapsed, these blades assume the folded or closed position as shown by the dotted lines. These blades swing loosely on the pins 5, the eyes 5 being so formed with reference to the ears 5 that when expanded to the position as shown in Fig. 1, they are at the limit of the open position. It will be understood that by means of a spring 4: which maybe arranged between the secondary lever 8 and the lever 2, the several parts are retained normally at the position shown, the rack 7 being at retracted position.

In operating the invention, when the lever 2 is pulled in the direction indicated by the arrowin Fig. 2 the blades 5 occupy the open position, to resist the water, as shown; and when moved in the opposite direction the blades as they freely swing on their ,pin connections, to the collapsed position, present a minimum resistance to the water, :in the reverse stroke of the levers 2.

my invention a person may propel the boat with uniformly minimum exertion, and the operation of the boat is silent and effective, the pulling on the levers being accompanied by a positive and regular grip of the water propulsion of the .boat, in;

the forward direction, as indicated by the arrow. .To reverse the direction of movement of the boat the operator simply (grips the handles 8 of the secondary levers :and which action causes an outward shift of the racks R and a consequent rotative movement of the gear wheel 6 and shaft 5, and which reverses the position of the blades 5 and of their resistance to the water, thereby reversing the direction of movement of the boat.

.The utility :of my improved propelling device is easily apparent when it is @seen that control of the direction vof movement of the boat may be effeotivelyfand easily had by operating one or the other or both of the levers in themanner above described.

While I have shown the lever and blade mechanisms of my invention arranged to occupy position vertical to the center line of the boat, it is apparent that these parts may be disposed at .a slant or angle, and moreover that changes may be made in the details of construction and arrangement, without departing from the nature or spirit of my invention or sacrificing any of its advantages.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1; A rowing device, comprising a primary lever, a shaft to which the lever is secur'ed, a journal bearing .for the shaft, an arm j ournaled in the said shaft at an angle to the axis of said shaft, a secondary lever carried by theprimary lever, connections between the arm and the said secondary lever that cause the said arm to be shifted rotatively a predetermined distance when the secondary =lever is operated, blades collapsib'ly carried by the said arm adapted to assume a spread position of resistance to the water when thev primary leverismovedin one direction, and to assume a collapsed position when the said lever is moved in the opposite direction.

.2. A rowing device, comprising a primary lever, a shaft to which the leveris secured, a journal bearing for the shaft, an arm journaled in the shaft at an angle to the axis of the shaft, a secondary lever fiulcrumed on the side of the primary lever, a spring to normally hold the weight arm of the secondary lever at retracted position, a pinion on the said arm, a rack to mesh in thepinion and having loose connection with the weight arm ofthe secondary lever, blades collapsib'ly carried by the said arm adapted to assume spread position of resistance to In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

CHARLES F. PARKS. 

